1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to controlling the copying, transfer and use of digital data and programs stored on media samples, such as Digital Video Discs (DVD), Blu-ray Discs, Compact Discs (CD), Information Versatile Disks for Removable usage (iVDR), flash memory cards, flash memory integrated circuits, mask programmable Read-Only Memory (ROM) integrated circuits, and microcomputer, microcontroller, and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) integrated circuits with built-in non-volatile memory.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The rights holders of copyrighted entertainment content, for example Sony Corporation, through its subsidiaries Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment, and Vivendi SA, through its subsidiaries Universal Music Group and Universal Studios, control the use of both movies and music. The rights holders of proprietary processes, such as Dolby Laboratories, and Microsoft Corporation, control the use of proprietary processing technologies. In the case of Dolby, Dolby licenses Dolby Digital audio compression. In the case of Microsoft, Microsoft licenses Windows Media Digital Right Management. All four of these representative organizations are concerned about unauthorized use of their knowledge-based assets. Both entertainment content and proprietary processing technology Intellectual Property (IP) are delivered to end users in electronic form. For entertainment content, storage media samples, such as Digital Video Discs (DVD), Blu-ray Discs, and Micro Secure Digital (microSD) flash memory cards, are often employed to store the digital data that represent the content, and to serve as vehicles for content delivery to end users. In the case of proprietary processes, proprietary process computer code is incorporated into an end user's appliance at the time its manufacture. The code is delivered to the manufacturer as data stored in the Read-Only Memory (ROM) of a programmable Integrated Circuit (IC), such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), that is installed into the appliance, or it is loaded into non-volatile memory integrated circuits, installed in the appliance, from storage media. Although various anti-copy approaches are employed to curtail the unauthorized use of both of these types of IP, they have still proven to be at high risk of unapproved redistribution and use. This has led to estimated yearly industry losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. Controlling the after delivery use of IP in digital data form has been, and continues to be, a major activity pursued by these rights holders.
Content rights holders currently employ a number of methods to control the use of their content after distribution. These include data encryption, data marking, data fingerprinting, and distribution media serialization. Due to cost and logistical reasons, individual factory disc serialization, has, for the most part, not been implemented, while encryption, data marking, and data fingerprinting, are only practical for content title identification, not for identification and control of data stored on individual media samples. Note that all of these techniques must be applied at the point of media manufacture. Thus, the use of data on a media sample already in an end user's possession, referred to herein as a “legacy” media sample, cannot be controlled by these approaches.
In many cases proprietary processes are used in multimedia appliances to process and display delivered entertainment content data. The content's data is read into the appliance from distribution media, and one or more proprietary processes are often employed to render the content into an Audio/Video (A/V) presentation. The incorporation of such proprietary processes in an appliance is depicted in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, entertainment content data 1055, stored on physical or network based content data source 1020, is loaded into multimedia appliance 1000. This entertainment content data, which usually takes the form of digital data, is rendered for presentation by use of proprietary process computer code 1050 incorporated into multimedia appliance 1000's DSP embedded Read-Only Memory (ROM) 1045, or programmed into appliance 1000's memory ICs 1030. For DSP 1025, computer code 1050, from code source 1015, is embedded into DSP 1025 at the time of DSP 1025's fabrication. DSP 1025 uses code 1050 to, for example, read content data 1055 from content data source 1020, decrypt the data, decompress the data, separate the audio data from the video data, and convert the A/V data into audio data stream 1080 and video data stream 1085. These two streams are then processed by audio amplifier 1035 and video display driver 1040 so they can property drive audio speakers 1005 and video display 1010 through lines 1060 and 1065, respectively. Code 1050, being programmed into ROM 1045, is installed into appliance 1000 when appliance 1000 is assembled. In the case of memory IC's 1030, proprietary process code 1050 is loaded from code source 1015 into these integrated circuit memory devices, either shortly before memory ICs 1030 are installed into appliance 1000, or shortly after. Irrespective of whether or not code 1050 is stored in the DSP 1025 or in IC memory 1030 external to DSP 1025, the DSP has access to, and can execute, the code. For memory ICs 1030, this access is provided by lines 1070 and 1075. Note that nothing prevents the appliance manufacturer from loading the code into an uncontrolled number of appliances, and nothing prevents DSPs with embedded proprietary code from being sold to unlicensed appliance manufacturers. In either case, the appropriate royalties would not be paid to the proprietary process rights holders.